Three people have already been charged in connection with the Pasir Gudang chemical spill that was first detected early this month. It was later learned that a huge amount of toxic wastes were dumped in the Sungai Kim Kim River and some parts of the riverbank.
In connection with this, the tire-processing company where the chemicals came from was closed down and two of its directors - a Singapore national named Wang Jin Chao and his business partner Malaysian Yap Yoke Liang - were charged by the authorities in Pasir Gudang. The driver of the lorry, a Malaysian who was identified as N. Maridass, 35 years old, was also charged for the illegal disposal of the chemicals, The Straits Times reported.
The three men were charged for violating the Environment Quality Act an on their March 25's hearing, more charges were added to their cases. However, before Judge Jailani Rahman, all of them pleaded not guilty on Monday.
In any case, some of their charges include the company director's failure to supervise their business' scheduled waste disposal under Rule 3(1) of the Environment Quality Regulations (Scheduled Wastes) 2005. In the court hearing, the judge detailed that the culprits committed the crime on March 12 at P Tech Resources Sdn Bhd along the Jalan Nibong 2 in Tanjung Langsat Industrial ground.
Wang and Yap's company incurred big losses from their illegal act after they were fined over RM100,000 or S$33,200. They may also end up in jail and stay there for up to two years if convicted.
Meanwhile, Channel News Asia reported that the police are still looking for another subject of interest. It was said that a Singaporean man is being hunted down as the authorities want him to help them with the investigations.
The man who is now in the wanted list is Sim Wei Dee, 49 years old. He is the third registered director of the factory that spilled the chemicals in Pasir Gudang.
The Johor police believe that Dee is in Singapore so police chief Mohd Khalil Kaded Mohd asked for their Singaporean counterpart to assist so they can arrest the offender soon. In response, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a statement that it is in contact with the Royal Malaysia Police.
"The Singapore Police Force is in touch with the Royal Malaysia Police, and are awaiting the latter's official request for assistance," the SPF said. "We are unable to comment further as investigations by the Malaysian authorities are ongoing."
Meanwhile, businesses around the affected areas of the chemical spill have closed down as the people were evacuated. While they were relieved to learn that the spill was already contained, they complained about the damage for days of not being able to operate their stores and businesses.
The government allocated a budget of RM6.4 million for the clean up of the stretch of the affected river. The budget has been approved by Yeo Bee Yin, the country's Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister of Malaysia.
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